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Laser Digital Seeks US Bank Charter Amid Regulatory Thaw Under Trump-Era OCC

Laser Digital Seeks US Bank Charter Amid Regulatory Thaw Under Trump-Era OCC

Nomura’s Laser Digital aims to establish a federally regulated national trust bank offering crypto custody, trading, and staking services to institutional clients under direct OCC supervision.

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Fact Check
The evidence strongly supports the statement's truthfulness. The most authoritative source provided, the Financial Times, directly reports that Laser Digital has filed an application for a national bank trust charter with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). This central fact is consistently corroborated by numerous other relevant news outlets from the crypto sector, including Cointelegraph, Crypto-Economy, and CoinLaw.io. There are no contradictions among the credible sources. The specificity of the details—the type of charter (national trust bank) and the regulatory body (OCC)—is consistent across several reports, which adds significant weight to the claim. The irrelevant sources (Etsy listings) and extremely low-quality sources (Paybis syndicated headlines) were disregarded. The combination of a high-authority primary source and uniform corroboration from multiple other outlets provides compelling evidence for the statement's accuracy.
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Summary

Nomura Holdings’ Laser Digital has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter to launch Laser Digital National Trust Bank. If approved, the institution would serve U.S.-based institutional clients, offering custody for cryptocurrencies and U.S. government securities, spot trading for crypto and fiat, and staking for eligible assets—excluding deposit accounts or securities trading at launch. The move places Laser Digital alongside Ripple, Circle Internet, and other firms pursuing similar federal charters. According to Laser Digital’s chief legal officer Purvi Maniar, the framework provides institutional clients with regulated and well-governed access to digital assets. Laser Digital, based in Zurich and licensed in the UAE, currently offers crypto funds, OTC trading, and treasury tools, and recently introduced a tokenized bitcoin yield fund.

Terms & Concepts
  • National Trust Bank Charter: A federal license issued by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) allowing a trust bank to operate under national regulations, often for specialized services such as asset custody.
  • Cryptocurrency Custody: Secure storage and safeguarding of cryptocurrencies on behalf of clients, typically offered by regulated institutions.
  • Staking Services: A blockchain process where cryptocurrency holders lock up their assets to help maintain a network, earning rewards in return.